Mike Oldfield, one of the legendary figures of British progressive rock, returned with this ambitious two-disc set. 2005's
Light + Shade is divided into two parts: the "Light" portion featuring upbeat and melodic tunes, and the "Shade" disc leans to moodier and more atmospheric compositions. As is his custom,
Oldfield plays all the instruments on
Light + Shade, as well as handling most of the recording himself; several of the selections from the album became part of the score for the virtual reality games Maestro and Tres Lunas. ~ Mark Deming